November 15, 2024
Tuning up
Falls Music Center preps for openingby Tracy Sweet
Members of the music department and trustees recently toured the new building, which is uniquely designed to host music-making, from classical piano to classic rock.
We are excited by the potential for this space to be a welcoming home to all students, not just our musicians. People are going to want to spend time in this incredible facility and it will be such a joy to see it filled with life in just a few weeks!
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Angling for perfection—From its largest performance hall seating 238 to its coziest practice room, every space has precisely calculated angles to capture the most “live” sound while also isolating those sounds from the room next door.
Nothing to hear here—Acoustical separation of spaces was paramount in the design. Most spaces are a “box within a box,” with insulation in between to prevent sound transmission. All mechanical equipment is mounted on isolators and connections are largely flexible rather than hard piped. Even the ductwork is double-walled, and air supply is low pressure/low velocity to minimize noise.
Sounds green—The 32,700-square-foot building is highly sustainable and all-electric, with 32 geothermal wells drilled 500 feet deep under the Graves Hall parking lot. LEED certified gold is the target.
Notable—The William Thomas classroom is strategically located next to the Christopher Walter practice studio, symbolizing the music program legends’ decades-long relationship as colleagues and friends.
Rave reviews—Faculty recently “field tested” acoustics and soundproofing, riffing on the new computers available for modern music composition.
Categories: Arts
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